Unavoidable Secrets
by Hanspam
Summary: Angel Grove draws them together,but secrets may tear them apart *Chapter 10 added, could this be the end?*
1. Chapter 1

Unavoidable Secrets   
  
Summary: The prelude to a reunion that brings around the revelation of secrets.  
  
Rating: I think I'll go for a change and have an R, for planned subject content in later chapters. Nothing too bad in this particular chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I own the right to any characters that I choose to inroduce that are not characters on the show. Someone mean owns the rest.  
  
Author's Notes/Thank You's: Thanks must go to everyone that's sent in positive reviews for my previous story 'Turn'. (If you haven't read it, do so now!) Also to all my friends that have provided support, Alex and Chloe.  
  
Unavoidable Secrets   
  
"I just have to go to the mall to try and pick up a pair of shoes, Jason," Trini Kwan said laughingly. "It's not as though I'm running a military operation single-handedly,"  
  
"No-one would know from the way that you go shopping, I know what you're like," Jason Scott told her. "I don't want to be dragged around fifty-seven different shops to inspect miniscule differences between two hundred pairs of shoes. I have better things to do with my time."  
  
"Oh yeah, like what exactly?" Trini asked, throwing a cushion at him. "Watching baseball on television does take a lot of energy out of you, I'll admit, but--OW!!!" Jason had retaliated by throwing back the cushion. They were in Trini's new apartment in Angel Grove, where she had been living for the past three months. She needed some shoes to match her planned outfit for a formal dinner at the most expensive restaurant in the city, Tallo's, a re-union of old friends.  
  
Zack Taylor, Billy Cranston and Tommy Oliver would all be there, as well as Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park and newly returned Aisha Campbell. Only one of their close knit friends had as yet failed to respond to her invitation, Kim Hart. She had been in Florida, but according to her roommate had left Florida six weeks ago, leaving only an e-mail address behind. The dinner was only two weeks away, and Trini was hoping that her friend would pick up her e-mails soon and be able to get to Angel Grove in time.  
  
"Let's go, shall we?" Jason said. "The quicker we leave here, the quicker we get back, and I might be able to catch the San Diego game."   
  
"And what makes you think that you will be able to watch the game here?" Trini asked. "I've already warned you about eating all my food, and now I have to tell you not to watch my television 24/7? Don't you have a home to go to?"  
  
Jason shrugged. "It's been pretty lonely since Emily left," he admitted. "I figured here I'd have better company and better food than I can cook." Emily Walker, Jason's girlfriend, had been transferred to San Francisco to work, and she only got the chance to come back to Angel Grove every other month or so. "Zack's always at some dance rehearsal or other, and Billy's permanently on research duty at the university. You're the only one of us who's been kind enough to extend hospitality to a lonely long time friend."  
  
"Kind enough? I'd say stupid enough," Trini said, grabbing her purse from the armchair where it had been discarded earlier on. "Still, you're company of a sort, so I'll keep quiet. Come on, I'm ready now."  
  
"Finally," Jason groused as he strolled out out of the apartment.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Two hours later, in the depths of Angel Grove Mall, Jason was getting more than slightly bored of discussing the relative merits of deep violet coloured shoes. Strappy or covered? Flat or heeled? Jason couldn't honestly say that he could care any less. As long as Trini could walk in them, there should be no other problem, according to him.  
  
"You're not exactly enjoying this, are you Jase," Trini said as she put back a pair of purple trainers, and shook her head regretfully at the hovering attendant. "Do you want to go somewhere else, and we'll meet up in about an hour or so?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I could check out the sports shop or something," Jason said gratefully. "Shall I meet you in the food court?"   
  
"I have never met a guy like you for food capacity. Oh wait, i take it back, Rocky could give you a run for your money," Trini told him as they strolled leisurely out of the shop. "The food court sounds good though, I'll see you there."  
  
"Right then, see you in an hour." Jason hurried away, and Trini found herself staring after the tall figure making his way through the crowds.  
  
Ever since she'd returned to Angel Grove, there had been a subtle change in their relationship, ever since they had discovered that Billy was engaged to a fellow university graduate. And after Emily's departure, they'd been spending more and more time together, though strictly as friends.   
  
As Trini made her way into yet another clothes shop, she privately wondered how long their current state of affairs would last. She was rudely awakened from her reverie by fleetingly catchign sight of someone she would never have expected to see back in Angel Grove without making contact with her, Kimberly Hart.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kim had wanted to slip back into normal life in Angel Grove without making any ripples, or drawing any attention to herself. The Kim that had returned to Angel Grove was a very different one to the girl that left four years ago, and it showed. She had purposely ignored Jason and Trini's e-mail, leaving it unanswered, not sure what to say after all this time.  
  
'Sorry I can't make it, I hate leaving the security of my home after dark?'  
  
'Yes, I'd love to come, but only if you don't mind me sitting in the corner hardly making a sound?'  
  
Despite her reluctance to make contact, Kim was genuinely happy to see Trini again. They hadn't seen each other for five years, and as they embraced the differences were evident.   
  
Trini's previously waist length hair was now cropped, with slightly longer pieces at the front. The ever present yellow in her wardrobe had been replaced with muted shades of grey and purple.  
  
Kim was a couple of inches taller than her seventeen year old self, and her previous favourite colour of pink had also seemingly disappeared from her wish list. She'd opted today for a sea-green spaghetti strapped top and a pair of blue jeans.  
  
"Kim!! What are you doing back here?" Trini asked joyfully. "I knew you weren't in Miami anymore, but I figured you'd gone back to paris to see your mother or something."  
  
"No, I've been here for about three weeks. I spent a fortnight with my dad in Colorado, then I bought an apartment here."  
  
Trini took her arm and ushered Kim out of the shop. "I'm supposed to meet Jason in the food court in an hour, but let's go there now, so we can chat. Did you get my e-mail?"  
  
Kim sent up a silent plea for forgiveness to whoever was up there in the heavens, and told Trini, "I've only just got my computer back on track, so I haven't got the chance to check my e-mails yet."  
  
"Oh. Well, never mind. I'll explain it to you over a Coke int he food court. Is that what you want, a Coke I mean?"  
  
"Um, yeah, whatever. I'll go save us a seat," Kim said, and disappeared into the crowd of people.  
  
Her first instinct was to run. Old friends meant old memories, which almost always meant trouble these days. From Trini's e-mail, she had learnt that Tommy would be at this formal dinner at Tallo's, and that prospect was already filling her with dread.  
  
The opportunity to go to Florida. Her leaving. The Powers draining from her body. The only people who could possibly help her at least on the other side of the continent, or in a completely different one.   
  
There hadn't been another guy when she had broken off her relationship with Tommy in an admittedly heartless letter. Six months later there had been someone who seemed to have held the potential to easeher pain. In the end, after three years of torture, he had almost permanently ended her pain.  
  
If you know what I mean.  
  
But now it was too late to run. Trini was making her way towards a table and gesturing for Kim to follow her, which she reluctantly did.  
  
Secrets must come out, eventually. But Kim wished at that moment that she was anywhere but in Angel Grove's food court, where in a few minutes, she'd be forced to tell her friend all that had gone on, or at least to leave her with suspicions that wouldn't be easily dulled.  
  
  



	2. Default Chapter

Unavoidable Secrets Part 2   
  
  
Summary: Kim and Trini get the chance to catch up, but someone's not spilling.  
  
Rating: Again an R for what's going to be discussed later on. This chapter is, again, not too bad.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Yet. So watch out people...she's coming.  
  
Author's Notes/Thank you's: I'm neglecting my revision to write these stories, and the reviews make it all worthwhile. However, bad news people, I'll have to tail off a bit in about a week or so, because I simply NEED to revise. Hey, do you want me to get into college or not? Thanks to all those who have reviewed my fics, whether they be Roswell or PR. Keep reviewing them!!!  
  
  
Trini placed the two drinks on the table, and careleesly discarded the tray which she had used to carry them. Kim grabbed her drink and took a long swallow. The longer she kept her mouth out of action, the longer Trini would refrain from asking questions. Or so she thought.  
  
"So Kim, what are you doing leaving the Sunshine State? I thought you'd never leave as long as it was warm weather, and as far as I know, there weren't any sudden ice storms a month ago," Trini said, taking her drink closer to her. Kim's prolonged drinking gave her cause for concern, and she said more carefully, "Kim, you aren't in any kind of trouble, are you?"  
  
"No, I'm not," (Anymore) "I just wanted to come home. I'd done the whole college thing, and I just thought I'd come back." (Oh if you only knew. you'd look at me in a different way, and I don't want that. But how can things ever be the same again?) "And what about you? Don't I remember reading in a letter that you loved Europe and it's culture so much you were going to make friends with my mother and go to live in Paris?"  
  
Trini smiled, and held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, you got me. Europe was great, but not what I want just yet. I need to stay in America for a while, make some money, and then think about Europe again. Maybe when I'm thirty or something, I'll spend a year out there."  
  
"Sounds good," Kim said, looking over Trini's shoulder to watch a man that was just going in line for food at the tiny KFC. Ifr she hadn't known better...  
  
'Stop these thoughts Kim. It's not possible for him to be here. they told you that you would be safe, you never in the whole three years, told him where you came from.'  
  
"So, what are you planning to do here? Or have you got a job here already? In which case I will hate you forever, I've been around for three months and haven't found anything."  
  
Kim rolled her eyes, and said "Yeah, the markets a dead loss at the moment. I'll probably end up commuting to Stone Canyon or something, there aren't really the facilities here for what I want to do."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"I took a degree in Sports Psychology. Basically I have to look for a position at one of the giant training places that are big enough to want to have a psychologist working for them full time." Kim didn't tell her friend the reason why she'd chosen sports psychology, one more of the taboo subjects that littered her life at the moment. "You never told me what you did in your final year," she said, hoping to get the heat off her again. Some things had been given the ok for sharing, but others were strictly out of bounds.  
  
"Chemistry. 24/7 chemistry. It got boring after about three months, but I stuck it out, and now I really enjoy it. Billy's looking at getting me a position at the university doing research."  
  
"Tell me about the rest of the gang," Kim urged. After a few letters during her first two years at the college, her contact with her friends had been completely cut off during her final term. Apart from what Trini had told her in the e-mail which she wasn't supposed to know about, she had no information about the friends whom she had been so close during her teenage years. Despite her being in the wilderness, she still loved her friends, and was secretly looking forward to seeing them on the dinner date. (Just why did it have to be at night, and in such a formal place? If anything should happen...It won't Kim. Stop worrying.)  
  
"Okay, I'm looking for a job here, Jason's working at what used to be Ernie's as a sensei, Zack's been taken on as one of the principals in one of the Stone County dance companies, Billy's engaged to some chick at the university-"  
  
"Ouch," Kim sympathised. Even though she was intrigued as to why Jason's name was continually cropping up in the conversation, Trini and Billy had been very close once upon a time.  
  
"Yeah, it was a shock to me too. I came to Angel Grove, Billy was one of the first to come over- accompanied by Cara. But they seem very happy together, and I don't think I still want him in that way anyway. I've moved on, as has he."  
  
Both Trini and Kim were silent for a while, each lost in private thoughts that even best friends don't share. Then Trini brightened, and said,  
  
"Yeah, so anyway. Don't you want to know about Tommy?"  
  
Kim did what she had to do, and had been doing for the past three years, pushed the hurt somewhere deep inside her, and forced a smile.  
  
"Sure, what's he doing these days? Still racing?" Kim had followed her ex-boyfriend's racing career avidly, but with events of the last year, she had had other things on her mind.   
  
"No, he gave it up about six months ago. He's working at the Surf Spot with Jason, they're the two professional sensei's there. It's really good for the both of them, actually. They get to do what they love, and get paid for it!"   
  
"What about Rocky and the rest? Where are they?" Kim asked, trying to get the subject of her love before she started to cry.  
  
"Rocky's working in some sort of accounting office until he figures out what he really wants to do. Adam's moving to New York as soon as he can afford it to be with his girlfriend Tanya, and Aisha's coming back to Angel grove in a week. Which reminds me..." Trini put her drink down and looked at Kim. "This was all in the e-mail, so I'll have to say it again. We're having a re-union dinner two weeks today at Tullo's. At eight o'clock. Can you make it? Everyone's going to be there."  
  
Kim didn't pull out her diary, it had too many things in it that were off limits for Trini to see. And she didn't have any excuses. How was she supposed to go to a restaurant without the police escort wanting to come along too? She'd managed to get away from him today, and he left her alone on weekdays for the most part. But normally she had an ever present shadow at the weekends, and he wasn't supposed to be obvious.  
  
She made a snap decision. She'd go. You only live once, and she wanted to see her friends so badly. They'd help her make a fresh start, without hopefully realising that they were helping her. And if the memories kept away for long enough, she could have a realy nice evening.  
  
"Will it just be us lot?" Kim asked. She didn't know whether Tommy was still with Katherine, and didn't really want to watch them together.  
  
"Yep, the original five, plus Tommy, Adam, Rocky and Aisha. Katherine's in England still, and from what I heard she and Tommy wouldn't last five minutes in the same room without tearing each other to pieces." Trini noted Kim's heigtened interest, but told her, "I don't really know the whole story, except that their break up wasn't exactly happy. So, will you come?"  
  
"Yep, Tullo's two weeks today, eight o'clock, I'll be there," Kim babbled, having just taken a quick glance at her watch. She wanted to get home before anyone rang on their daily check up and started to panic. This meant leaving the joyous reunion with Trini then, and she said apologetically, "Trini, I'm really sorry but I have to get back to my place now. I'll give you a ring some time in the week if you give me your number."  
  
Trini pulled out a notebook, scribbled down her home phone number, and gave it to Kim. "Are you sure you can't wait for Jason to get here? Knowing him, he'll get here half an hour before he thinks I'll be here, eat enough for an army, and then see me, and pretend he's starving. I plan on staying here to destroy his illusions. Won't you stay?" In reality, trini was worried about Kim, she'd hardly told Trini anything, and they'd only been together for about ten minutes. Kim wanted to stay and see her surrogate big brother, but needs must.  
  
"Sorry Trini, I have to go. I'll give you a ring before the big day. Bye!" And with a quick wave Kim had gone, and disappeared in the crowds. Trini watched the spot where Kim had been sitting until Jason came, and she explained it all to him.   
  
"Are you as worried about her as I am?" Jason asked her after Trini finished her story.   
  
Trini looked at him oddly and said, "Why do you say that?"  
  
"From what you've just told me, she doesn't seem herself, too quiet by far for the Kim what we know. And she didn't say why she'd come back?"  
  
"No..." Trini said, understanding what Jason was getting at. She'd been so ecited by seeing her friend again that she hadn't noticed what Jason was pointing out to her. "Now I see what you're getting at. I want to talk to her again, but she didn't leave any contacts, and she didn't get my e-mail, her computer isn't set up properly yet."  
  
"So basically it's up to her when she wants to speak to you," Jason deduced. "Sneaky. Well, shall we go? There's no point in hanging about here when you've already visited every single shop in the place twice when you were with me."  
  
Trini whacked Jason on the arm, but got up and followed him from the food court. "Is that it? I thought you'd force me to traipse around the place at least four more times."  
  
"I'm still in shock that you decided to leave the food court without ordering anything." 


	3. 

Unavoiadable Secrets  
  
Summary: The first nine Rangers reunite, and secrets prove to be a problem when discussions are held.  
  
Rating: R. If it doesn't become evident in this chapter, it will in the next. I think. Maybe.  
  
Disclaimer: Yeah, again?? No. Nothing belongs to me apart from all characters that make you go 'Hmm. Never heard of them before'. They're mine. Ask before taking!  
  
Author's Notes/Thank You's: I'm going to need some serious help with the next chapter, and I mean serious, because I'm stuck!! Please, anyone who thinks they can help, e-mail me on flyingchopstick@hotmail.com. It may take me 2 seconds or 2 weeks to reply, but I will seriously consider any offers of help sent to my in-box. Again, thanks to all people who have sent in positive reviews. I like you people!   
  
The phone rang as Trini whirled around her apartment, picking up keys, lipstick, and finally her purse. She picked up the phone after four rings, and said impatiently, "Hello?"  
  
"Trini, it's Kim," she said. This was the first time that Kim had made contact with Trini after their parting at the mall. Trini hadn't been surprised at that, the more that she thought about it, the more she realised that Kim hadn't been herself that day. "I just phoned to say I'm going to be a little late. I ran into a bit of trouble."  
  
"Nothing to do with...after school activities?" Trini asked worriedly. they'd developed a code for their Ranger business after they learned that their phones could be bugged at any time.  
  
Kim sighed. "I wish. No, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes, and I'll see you there. Bye!" And the phone went dead.  
  
Trini didn't pause to think why Kim wished that her trouble had something to do with their time as Rangers. She flew down the stairs of her apartment building, her purse thudding against her thigh painfully. In ten minutes she'd reached Tullo's, and could see four people she recognised standing outside. Rocky deSantos, Adam Park, Aisha Campbell and Tommy Oliver.   
  
"wow, hi Trini!!" Aisha hadn't changed, she was still as bubbly and friendly as she'd ever been. As Trini looked around, she saw that they'd all changed in ways that were hard fro others to understand. They knew from experience what it was like to list saving the world as one of your afterschool activities, and how hard it was to give it up. They had a maturity beyond their years, but still acted their age at all times.  
  
After the hugs and embraces, Trini told them,"I know two people are definitely going to be late. Zack's dance rehearsal is running late, and Kim's going to be here in fifteen. The others should be here soon."  
  
"Aww, man! When do we get to eat?" Rocky asked. "I only had two hamburgers at lunch, I've been saving myself specially."  
  
"I vote that you sit next to Jason. We'll finally get to see which one of you eats the most, and which just likes to brag." Adam suggested. Rocky rubbed his hands together, and said wickedly, "Bring it on!"  
  
"Shall we go inside then, and wait for them in there? Tommy asked the group in general. He wanted to get this night over and done with, he didn't want to open old wounds unnecessarily. The break up with Kat had been unhappy, he had wanted it, she hadn't. If he saw Kim today, he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his eyes off her.  
  
"Yeah, let's," Aisha said, opening the door to the eatery. "I don't want to sound too much like Rocky, but I hope the others hurry up and get here."   
  
They stepped into the restaurant, and immediately saw why it was the most expensive in the city. It was gorgeous, with a table set for nine in the far corner which was obviously theirs. There were only a few other people in the establishment, and no sign of the missing friends. A waitress came up and led them to their table, saying, "I'll leave you until the rest of your party turn up, and then take an order for drinks."  
  
The five old friends chatted for about ten minutes, uninterrupted until the door once again opened and Jason and Billy stepped in.  
  
Trini stared at the two as they came and took their seats at the table, leaving the two end seats for Kim and Zack. Two men, one that she had adored in the past, and one who could so easily be her future.  
  
Don't think about this, Trini told herself. Billy's engaged, and Jason's involved. Neither would want her, and she didn't want to break up any kind of relationship with them. They'd been friends for eleven years, almost twelve, and she loved them both. But which one did she want?  
  
Again, her thoughts were interrupted by Kim and Zack coming up to the table. Trini looked at both of them as they took their seats at the end of the table. Kim had looked inexpicably relieved that her seat was out of sight of the door, and Zack wasn't his normal bubbly self either. Neither of them had said much to any others, although Trini had noticed that Kim and Tommy were sneaking galnces at each other.  
  
The drinks flowed, and the food was served, which was great. When the coffee was brought to them, Trini decided to bring the two silent members into the conversation. She was worried, Zack was never this quiet, and Kim hadn't eaten much of her food.   
  
"So, how's the dance going, Mr Taylor?" Zack looked up from his coffee cup, which semed to hold the answers to the mysteries of the universe considering the attention that he was paying to it.  
  
"Um, ok. I got chewed out a couple of weeks ago, but apart from that it's really good."   
  
"How'd you get chewed out man? I thought you were the best there." Rocky asked, smiling at him. Trini hadn't been the only one to pick up on the uncharacteristic quietness on one side of the table.  
  
"I had to take off for a couple of days," Zack said, giving a cautious glance to Kim. Noticing that she had gone pale, he craned his neck to look at what had caught her attention. Suddenly he swore softly under his breath, "Oh shit, not here."  
  
Only Jason and Tommy, the closest to the two, heard what was whispered next between them.  
  
"What the hell are we gonna do?" Zack hissed, casting another glance at whatever had captivated their attention.  
  
"I don't know, but I sure as hell wish I didn't talk our escorts into having a night off."  
  
Jason and Tommy looked at each other in disbelief. What on earth was going on?  
  
"We'd better get out of here."  
  
"Everyone's going to know now, aren't they??" Kim said, swiftly looking at Billy. "Well, maybe it's for the best. You tell them we have to go. We'll go back to my place, and I'll ring what's-his-face."  
  
"Guys, I hate to bring this party to a close, but we HAVE to get out of here," Zack said. Aisha looked at him strangely and said,  
  
"Why do you say that, it's just beginning?"  
  
"Look, we'll go back to my place, ok?" Kim said frantically, and signaled to the waiter. On receiving a stern look from Jason, she said defensively, "What, you think I'm a poor layabout? I have a credit card. Besides, it's down to us that we have to leave, so..." Now everyone was loooking at Kim and Zack, but Kim signed the credit card receipt, and she and Zack bolted from the restaurant, their friends hastily grabbing their coats and following.  
  
"Where is your place, Kim?" Adam yelled, she and Zack were so far in front of the rest of the group. She looked back at him, and said,  
  
"About five minutes away."  
  
Tommy and Jason, the group's natural leaders, easily caught up to Kim and Zack, who had resumed their low-toned conversation.   
  
"Alright you two, what the hell is going on? Who are these people you called escorts, and why do you need them?"  
  
"Look, we'll tell you once we're at Kim's, we can't afford to stop right now." Tommy gave him a doubting look, at which Kim laid a quick hand on his arm and said,  
  
"We'll tell you. Just let us get inside, okay??"  
  
Tommy calmed down immediately, but the other old friends who had now caught up to them didn't look satisfied with Kim and Zack's hasty explanation. It would just have to do...until they entered Kim's tiny apartment and began to see just what the secret could be...  
  
  
  
Sorry this is so rushed at the end, but I have to work in..hmm 5 minutes. So I didn't exactly have time to write War and Peace if you get my meaning. But, everyone wanted to know more, so I'll do anything to satisfy people if they like me and my stories. Still looking for suggestions, and reviews of course!! Love you loads, hannah   



	4. 

Unavoidable Secrets Part 4  
  
Summary: I finally tell you what the secret is. And I warn you, I was thinking about this all last night while I was working, and now I have to go to school. You're taking over my life!!!  
  
Rating: R, because of subject content and some bad language.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't think I'll bother. You know I don't own anything, so what's the point?  
  
Author's Notes/Thank You's: I have to say I'm overwhelmed by the great reviews, and I'm sorry for confusing people with the strange way I've kept the secret. But, all will be revealed if you carry on reading!!! Thanks to everyone that's reviewed and also to Chloe and Alex AGAIN. I'm not that happy with the ending to this, but I can't think of anything else, so ... just read it!!  
  
  
The nine people could barely fit into Kim's apartment. It was in one of the tiny streets off a main road, and one of seven in the particular building. Kim quickly moved over to the phone and dialed a number. Turning away so that her voice was directed towards a wall, she spoke into the receiver.  
  
"He's here...yeah, both Zack and I saw him. What do you mean, you can't get here tonight? I thought you were supposed to protect us from a homicidal ex-boyfriend who likes to use his object of twisted affection as a punchbag and keep her friends hostage??"   
  
The room fell silent. What did she mean? Kim turned around and saw seven faces looking at her in bemusement, and one with a resigned look on his face. She looked at them for a moment, then returned her attention to the job in hand. "So when can you get here? No, I don't think he saw us leave, but I'm not completely sure... yeah I'll be awake, you think I get eight hours sleep?? Okay. See you at eight." She hung up the phone, but kept a hold of it for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she gave a strange smile to Zack, and said, "He's in San Francisco. Can't get here till about eight tomorrow morning. Said for you to stay here."  
  
"Alright Kim, that is it. What the hell is going on??" Jason looked at his two friends, and raised his eyebrows.   
  
"Homicidal ex-boyfriend? Kim, what happened, and why the fuck did you never tell anyone?" Aisha said, coming closer to put an arm around her friend, who she noticed was looking close to tears.  
  
"Zack, how did you get involved in all this?" Adam asked his friend. Zack and Kim looked at each other, unsure who was going to start the story-telling. Tommy, Trini, Rocky and Billy just looked at their friends, shellshocked. At least now they knew what was wrong, but how did it happen, and what could they do to fix it?  
  
Kim sat down on a ratty couch, and Tommy instantly sat down beside her. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he did know that she needed someone. Zack sat down on the other side of Kim, and she began her tale.  
  
  
"I was in Florida for about two months. And I loved it at first, or at least after I stopped throwing up because the Powers were leaving me. The gymnastics was harder than I'd ever known it, but I enjoyed the challenge. The only things that were missing were you guys. I made a couple fo friends, but they were all so different to me, I didn't ever feel as though I completely belonged. Then, I met a guy." She looked at Tommy briefly, but couldn't read the expression on his face. Once upon a time, she could read every single expression that he had in his repetoire. These days, she didn't even know herself.   
  
"He was so nice to me, he made me feel as though I belonged there, and because he liked me everyone else did. Superficial I know, but anyway.  
  
"We started going out every once in a while, and soon it became more serious. After about seven months, it got a bit...odd."  
  
"What do you mean by 'odd'?" Jason asked. Kim rolled her eyes, and said,  
  
"Well, he got really possessive, he wanted to know where I was at all times. he got so annoyed if I didn't come home when I said I would, gymnastics were pushed aside to stay with him."  
  
"Why didn't you leave him?" Adam asked.  
  
"Why do you think? I thought that I loved him." She gave another look at Tommy, and reluctantly continued her story. "By the time I'd been with him for two years, I didn't want it any more. I hadn't been back here since that Christmas, hadn't seen my family or anyone for so long, and I'd done what I acheived to do, which was to get a medal at the Globals. Zack was in Florida, he came to see me, and I asked him to help me get my stuff out of there without him knowing." At that point her voice broke, and Zack took over the story, all eyes switching from Kim to Zack, apart from Tommy who put an arm around Kim, who looked at him gratefully.  
  
"How long ago was this?" Billy asked.  
  
"I would say three months or so. I got most of Kim's stuff into my hotel room, we left out a couple of things so that he wouldn't see that anything was going on. Kim thought that he'd be out one afternoon, so she came home early, and we went to grab the rest of her stuff, but he was already there." Kim decided to join the convresation again.  
  
"Basically, I said 'I'm leaving', he said 'you're not' I said 'try and stop me' so he did." She hitched up the skirt of her dress to mid thigh, to show a still red stab mark. "Zack got a few punches, I called the police, they couldn't arrest him because he'd gone, and I thought I was going to thank my lucky stars because I never told him the name of the town that I came from." She let out a deep sigh, and said, "But I got a couple of notes days after I moved in here, as did Zack, and the police insisted on providing us with protection, what with me being a failed celebrity and all."  
  
The room fell quiet. You heard of things happening like this all the time, in newspapers and stuff, but they never thought that it would happen to one of their own. Trini and Aisha couldn't believe that Kim hadn't told them, and that they hadn't picked up the signs. Whereas the guys...  
  
"Why didn't you let any of us know?? Did he hit you when you were going out with him?" Rocky demanded. Kim didn't answer, and Rocky had his answer right there.   
  
"We'll stay here tonight," Jason proclaimed. "If he has both your addresses, and he knows where you were tonight, neither of you should be alone."  
  
"Um, Jason? Have you happened to take a look around you?" Kim asked, standing up, and reluctantly leaving Tommy's comforting presence. "There's barely enough room for nine people to sit, let alone sleep."  
  
"Well then, we won't sleep," Trini said, putting her arm around Kim, and bending down to bring Zack to her other side as well. "I doubt either of you get your healthy eight hours these days anyway, so we'll keep you awake until your police shadow gets here. Then we can figure out what to do as a team, instead of leaving you two alone, thinking that you can keep unavoidable secrets like this from us."  
  
"A friend in need is a friend indeed," Adam murmured, as Rocky joined the standing group, stretched like a dozy cat, and said,  
  
"Kim, have you got any food you don't want?"  
  
  
Author's Notes (What, again??? You really are getting spoiled) I don't blame you if you're not happy with this, because I thought it was a bit too...not unlikely or anything, just implausible about the poilce escort etc. Anyway, let em know what you think about this chapter and the fic in general!! 


	5. Chapter 5: The Long Night

Unavoidable Secrets Part 5   
  
Summary: The long night before the escort arrives.  
  
Rating: R. Although now I don't think that it should be an R, maybe a PG-13. But I don't understand the US-based ratings, so blame it on my anglophilia!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Wow, this is entertaining. I OWN NOTHING. So don't suggest otherwise or I'll send my heavies around.  
  
I think I'll add a new one; Distribution: Would you like my story?? As long as you ask politely you can have any of them, and tell me where they are going. (They're like babies to me you know, sob)  
  
Author's Notes/Thank you's: Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, and to everyone that has helped me, specially Angel Star. Check out her fic, The Legend Of The Laxcus, it's fab, and it's got me in it!!!  
  
#2: I officially hate the way this story is going. I didn't want it to be this way, she screams!!! But it's going to carry on regardless, and I'll just stick it out and see where it takes us. It's a rollercoaster ride, chickadees!!  
  
  
  
No-one had said a word for at least fifteen minutes. Kim was staring out of the window, even though it was pitch-black outside, lost in thought. Zack was sprawled out on the passageway in front of the door. He had told them that he was guarding the door in case anyone tried to get in, but in reality he was hiding from the way that he knew the conversation would turn.  
  
He knew that eventually it would have to come out about why he was in Florida. He didn't want to tell them about who he had re-met in Florida. It was too much of a coincidence for anyone to believe him, and he wanted to keep it to himself.  
  
Apart from Kim and himself, Angela Kiernnon was the only person who knew about what had gone on in Florida. She had been with Zack's partner dance company in Florida; when he and Kim had gone to check them out they had instantly recognised each other. They had gone backstage to see her, and the connection, this time, had been returned.  
  
It would have been a bit hard to explain why, two days after their first kiss, he had a black eye and multiple lacerations to the face. Kim had insisted that she wasn't told, but Zack had managed to sweet-talk his oldest friend into letting one person into the secret. Angela had been surprised, but supportive, and had promised to keep it quiet. He had been feeling strange about her impending transfer to the same dance company as his, the secret would have been so much harder to keep. But now it was out, David was back, and they were going to have to go through this hell all over again.  
  
He sighed, rolled over, and focused on a new patch of floor. He knew he wouldn't sleep a wink that night.  
  
* * *  
  
Trini was sitting on an uncomfortable patch of floor. She was overcome with conflicting thoughts.  
  
How could she not have kept in touch with Kim?? Or Zack, for that matter, although she had talked to him about once a month when they were back in the USA. How could something such as this have slipped through her fingers?  
  
In her heart of hearts, Trini knew why. She had been too busy chasing two of her oldest friends to pay any attention to the other two. Billy and Jason were both utterly adorable, incredible, and unattainable. Both were attached seriously, and she believed that neither of them were attracted to her. So why did she want either of them?  
  
Billy had been so attentive to his friends tonight, a mere shadow of his former, incommunative self. This Cara must have brought out the best in him, Trini thought reflectively. But, he'd drawn back into his shell once they'd come back to the apartment.   
  
Jason had been so mad at Kim and Zack after they'd told their friends, and to a certain extent she understood. Jason had been so protective of them all during their high school days, and Trini thought that he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that there were things in his friends lives that he couldn't control. Kim, Zack, and everyone were now adults, their lives were their own, and no-one else's. He couldn't be the leader anymore.  
  
Trini looked at the three sitting on the couch, Rocky, Adam and Aisha. They had been there for Kim and Zack that night, even though they weren't part of the original group. They were now whispering to each other, seemingly not wanting to enter into a public communication. They had always been a little closed off, but that was understandable considering that they had known each other since kindergarten. Their bond was much the same as the bond between the original five, it was just unlucky for them that Tommy had managed to fit in with both groups, and was now torn between the two.   
  
Tommy...Trini turned to give him a quick glance. It was pretty obvious that he was still too protective of Kim if they were going to be like a brother and sister partnership. It must have hurt him to hear about Kim's mistakes, but it was all supposed to be over by now. The last thing that any of them needed were homicidal ex-boyfriends, as Kim had so delicately put it, coming back to do god-knows-what.   
  
Trini sighed, and closed her eyes. Just for a little while, she silently avowed to herself. Then I'll go and talk to Kim. Just forty winks...  
  
* * *  
  
Tommy looked around at the group, then sighed and closed his eyes again. He thought that Trini or Aisha would have instigated a group pow-wow, but the two returnees had been less than according, Zack had immediately taken his sentry by the door when their tale was related, and Kim had been sitting by the window for about two hours. No-one had said a word apart from when Adam had got cramp in his leg, and Aisha had told him to walk around the room, a little hard with nine people in it.  
  
He looked again at Kim. All night he had been aware of something being wrong with her, the way she was so jumpy and vague about everything. He'd never suspected anything like this, that nightmares that had been experienced in Florida had somehow caught a cross-continental flight to California, and found Kim and Zack again.  
  
He strongly suspected now that Kim had been the victim of some kind of abuse at the hands of this guy. There was still a light of sadness in her eyes which was only to be expected, but the pain...if only he had been there for her.  
  
He strongly believed that they still had a chance, but he'd be a fool if he made any sort of move at this time. She and Zack were still obviously petrified about the threat of this man returning, and all the friends needed to be united in their attempt to get him where he belonged, behind bars.  
  
But they weren't united, far from it. Apart from the fact that no-one was talking to each other, there was some sort of power battle going on with Trini and Jason, and some sort that would make Emily furious if she was still in Angel Grove. he didn't want to know what was going on between those two, if indeed there was anything happening. Rocky, Adam and Aisha felt uncomfortable with Zack and Trini, having only ever met the entire group of originals for about a month before the Peace Conference came about. Something needed to be done, and Tommy was painfully aware that Kim was normally the expert on getting people to open up.  
  
One last glance showed that she was getting up from her window seat. Aisha looked at her and said,  
  
"Are you okay, Kim?" It was now obvious as she stood in the lighted main part of the room that Kim had been crying silently, red streaks divided her face, but when she spoke her voice was as steady as could be expected.  
  
"I'm fine, just need an aspirin." Kim stepped over a sleeping Billy, and went into the kitchen. Aisha looked at Tommy, and said quietly,  
  
"Go after her, talk to her. You're the only one she'll open up to."  
  
"Even after all that's happened to her? You do it." In truth, no matter how much he wanted it, Tommy was scared about having to go through this nightmare with Kim. But being on the receiving end of one of Aisha's patented glares made him hastily get off his seat and make is way to the kitchen, not knowing what he would find, or what to say.  
  
* * *  
  
Kim turned around from her seat at the kitchen table, and saw the guy that she should never have given up. She could still read his face like a book, and at that moment she saw uncertainty, and almost a shade of fear. She swallowed the aspirin, and gave a lopsided smile. "Welcome to my world. Police escorts, a tiny apartment, and guys that chase me all the way across the country just to get revenge. If they sold the concept to te WB, I'd get millions."  
  
"What's going to happen?" he asked, wondering what she would say, whether she knew the drill or not. Kim rolled her eys, and said,  
  
"I have absolutely no idea. I don't know if he still wants to kill Zack for helping me get out of Florida, I don't know if he still wants me, I don't know whether the police will catch him before he catches us. There is one thing I'm certain of though."  
  
"What's that?" Tommy asked, sitting in the other seat by the kitchen table that had seen better days.  
  
"If I see him before he sees me, I'll kill him." Tommy's shock at her words was almost comical, and Kim hastened to explain. "I mean, look at me. I'm scared of the dark, I hate being by myself, I have to have a police bodyguard if I go out to any public place and intend to be on my own, and I have a two inch scar on my favourite leg."  
  
"Your-your favourite leg?" Tommy said, eyes widened. Kim laughed, and said,  
  
"It's the leg I always wear anklets on." Then her expression darkened, and she said quietly, "I know that all of you are thinking, 'why didn't I tell you' or 'why couldn't we have helped'? But that's all over now, and I want you to know that. There was nothing to do, I just got lucky that I'd invited Zack to Florida and he helped me."  
  
"I should have been there," he mumbled under his breath. Kim looked him in the eye for the first time since he'd entered the room, and said,  
  
"I wish you had been there"  
  
  
Author's Notes: Okay, I will try for some more before I leave school...only 4 more days to go, people!! Please also review, and send ideas!!! I'm not as stuck as I was, but not out of the woods completely. I'll love you forever, now that's an offer you can't resist. 


	6. Chapter 6: Still Morning

Unavoidable Secrets Part 6   
  
Summary: The long night continues, until the police arrive with more bad news.   
  
Rating: R.  
  
Disclaimer: Dave; pyschomaniac, and incompetent police officers are mine. Great! I get to keep the screw-ups, lucky me.  
  
Thank you's: To Morgan for her reviews, Angel Star for her constant support (I told you to read and review her fic, The Legend Of Of The Laxcus. Did you? No. DO IT!!!) And to all those who have provided inspiration, including someone French (anyone who knows me, you know who I mean) and all my friends.  
  
Author's Notes: I've finished school, so yay for me. One more month of exams and I'll be done forever...until college that is.  
  
  
Tommy had hoped that Kim's confession may have led to other things. However, she had almost immediately fallen asleep, and looked as though she needed a good night's rest for once. So he had returned to the living room, to find that he was the only person awake in the apartment apart from Zack, who looked as though he wanted to be left alone. Tommy sat in one of the rickety chairs, and thought deeply about what had happened for the rest of the night.   
  
He was uninterrupted until four o'clock, when he heard Kim moving about in the kitchen. She walked into the room stiffly, then struggled to stifle a laugh when she realized the meagre number of awake people.  
  
"So much for protecting us," she said quietly. "You guys are worse than the police."  
  
"Are they that bad?" Tommy asked in the same quiet voice. She shrugged, and replied,  
  
"You would have thought they'd have caught him by now...still, they can't be everywhere. There are other people out there."  
  
And with that she disappeared into a room that Tommy presumed was either the bathroom or her bedroom. She reappeared a few minutes later, and said, "I really thought we'd lost him, and then we got the notes... I don't know why he thinks I still want him, but I wish he'd just get the message and go away."  
  
"Where was the postmark from?" he asked, but was interrupted by Jason snorting and turning over in his sleep. Kim gave him a glance, then beckoned to Tommy to follow him into the other room, which must be her bedroom.  
  
She sat on her bed and sighed. "That's the problem. It was hand-delivered. Both of ours were...which means he must have been watching us ever since we got back here, and I never even noticed."  
  
He sat down beside her, and told her, "You thought that you got rid of him, and so you didn't need to worry anymore. None of this is your fault."  
  
Kim gave a sarcastic laugh. "Yes, it is. There's no use trying to get me off all charges, I'm as much to blame as he is."  
  
"What do you mean?" Tommy asked curiously. He had noticed the way that Kim had downplayed any talk of her relationship with this Dave person, and he didn't want to pry, but surely it was better to get it all out of her system, so that she could get on with the rest of the day without being distracted. She shrugged, and said,  
  
"I put up with it for too long, I didn't ask anyone for help, I stayed in Florida when I had the chance to come back to California more than once. Let's face it, I could have gotten out of my relationship with him more than once, but I didn't because I was too scared. And then I did, and look where it got me."  
  
"So, you regret leaving him?" Tommy couldn't believe what Kim was saying, that she didn't want to go?  
  
"No, it was the best thing I ever did. I'm not saying that I loved him or anything, but look what happened. I got myself stabbed in the leg, almost ruined Zack's love-" She stopped, realising what she was about to say, but Tommy wasn't about to let up on what he thought he heard.  
  
"Zack? A girl? Who?" He asked, shocked. If anything, it was to get Kim's mind off the events in Florida. He was beginning to think it had been a mistake to bring it up again, she looked close to tears and hadn't met his eyes once since they had entered her room.  
  
"Would you believe me if I said Angela Kiernnon?" Kim smiled, enjoying the look of shock and surprise playing on her ex-boyfriend's face.  
  
"What? How?" He asked. Zack had chased Angela for over three years, but no-one had ever thought that they would ever become a couple. Now it seemed that they had joined together, but when had this happened?  
  
"Zack came down to visit me, and the first night he was there he asked me to take him to see his partner dance company. We went, and one of the principals was the lady herself. We went backstage, and let's just say that the feelings were reciprocated this time."  
  
"The first night...does she know about what's his name?" Tommy asked. Kim sighed, and said,  
  
"Yes, we had to tell her. She was suspicious when he turned up at her apartment with a face that looked as though a three year old had painted on it with bruise-coloured paint. I was in hospital, so Zack took it upon himself to tell her. Wasn't best pleased at the time, I can admit, but it's done, and now everyone knows it's just as well."  
  
Tommy just sat there, with his head in his hands. Finally, he looked up to realise that Kim was watching him with a strange smile on her face. "What?"  
  
"I was just wondering...nah, forget it." She turned forty-five degrees to rest her head against the wall. "I might try and get a bit more sleep, I doubt if I'll be left alone for more than two seconds once the day starts."  
  
But her eyes remained open, and her expression was far away from a tiny apartnment in Angel Grove. Tommy mentally knew that she was reliving whatever had gone on in Florida, especially when he could see her shudder. Finally, he broke the silence again, saying, "Do your parents know about all of this?"  
  
She looked at him, and said quietly, "Yeah, but they haven't exactly been a fountain of help. Dad makes me check in once every couple days, but my mom refuses to believe that her precious daughter could have gotten herself into such a mess."  
  
He immediately dropped the subject, and got up. "Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm gonna relieve Zack. he should try and get some rest as well. Do you have another bedroom or anything?"  
  
"You must be kidding. Tell him if he wants to sleep somewhere, try the bathtub," she told him with her eys closed once again, and within two seconds of Tommy's closing the door she was asleep.  
***  
  
At eight o'clock, the seven sleeping people were awakened by the insistent ringing of the doorbell. Zack and Tommy, who were still the only two awake. went to the door and opened it.  
  
"Sergeant Carter," Zack said. "Nice to see you on this fine morning."  
  
"Yes, Zack, whatever you say," the weary looking policeman said. He stepped aside to reveal his colleague, another uniformed man. "I've had to involve one of the detectives, now that we know that he's definitely been in Angel Grove. Where's Kim?"  
  
"I'll go and get her," Trini said, and slipped into Kim's room. Zack led the two officers to the kitchen table, and their friends subtly arranged themselves in the living room so that they could hear what was going on. They parted to make way for Kim, who strode from her room through the living room and into the kitchen, muttering to Trini as she went, "This is not going to be pretty."  
  
"Kim, you remember Detective Mc Connachie don't you?" Sergeant Carter said to her. She nodded, and said without formalities,   
  
"Have you found him yet?"  
  
"We believe that he's staying on the east side of the city. Whereabouts is still unknown."  
  
"How do you know that?" Zack asked. "For all you know he could be anywhere. We haven't exactly got all the reasoning in the world to believe you, you couldn't protect Kim in Florida, and you can't protect us now."  
  
Jason and Billy looked at each other. Zack had never been an aggressive person, but what he had witnessed, what he had gone through to save a friend would change any man. "We should leave," Billy whispered. "They should be able to talk to the police without knowing we can hear every word that they're saying."  
  
In reality, Billy wanted to get away from Trini, and what he believed to be some sort of sick power game she was playing between him and Jason. True, he had fantasised over Trini more times than he cared to admit in his high school years, but they were exactly that. High school years. He had Cara now, and he knew that she wanted him, and he wanted her. End of story. Or was it?  
  
"Good idea, Billy. But a couple of us should stay, to make sure that they're alright," Rocky said. "I would stay, but I have to get to a class."  
  
"Me and Tommy will stay," Jason said, looking to his friend for conformation. "The rest of you, stay quiet and we'll be in touch later."  
  
So Billy, Trini, Rocky, Adam and Aisha said their hasty goodbyes to Kim and Zack, and went out of the apartment.   
***  
  
Jason and Tommy sat shamelessly eavesdropping for over half an hour. From this, they had learned that Dave Gray had been seen in the local supermarket two days previously on the east side, hence the police's belief that he was staying there. They were also reluctant to carry on with the protection service, saying that it was unilkely he would try anything.  
  
"How can they say that?" Jason asked. "They've seen him, and he's sending them notes saying that he's watching them. Oh yeah, I believe that he's not going to try anything, I think not."  
  
"I wish I could say I'm sure they have their reasons, but I'm as stumped as you are," Tommy said. "So what, they're just gonna let Kim and Zack walk around like sitting ducks?"  
  
"Yeah, well Kim won't exactly be a sitting duck when she's got you to protect her, will she?" Jason said wickedly. After being on the receiving end of an evil glare, he added, "Sorry, that was below the belt considering the circumstances. But after all this is over, what do you think? Do you think you'll try again?"  
  
"No idea," he said. "I think I'll see whether the abusive boyfriend has n't completely put her off men for life before I decide anything."  
  
Jason gave him a doubtful look, but said nothing, as Kim and zack said their weary goodbyes to the policemen and returned to the living room.  
  
"I have officialy lost faith in America's police force," Zack said, annoyed, as he flopped into the armchair.   
  
"You only just did? I decided that six months ago," Kim said as she leaned against the doorframe. Catching their two friends puzzled look, she told them, "They're withdrawing the protection; not enough funds. We're to keep the lowest profile that we can, I can't find a job, Zack has to quit the dance company, and we have to report anything at all suspicious."  
  
"You are, of course, kidding," Jason said. Zack shook his head, and said,  
  
"This nightmare just got a whole lot worse. How are we supposed to survive now? No income, we can't go anywhere-"  
  
"You two can come stay at my place," Tommy offered. "I have two spare bedrooms that are going begging, and I don't mind being Mr Protective Man if needs be. He shouldn't be able to find you guys at my place if we leave quickly."  
  
Zack looked as if he would accept, but Kim shook her head. "I'm not getting you involved in all this as well. It was bad enough with Zack getting hurt, I don't want someone else I care about dragged into my mess."  
  
Tommy walked over to her, and said quietly, "You don't have a choice in this. If there's anything that I can do at all to protect you, I'm going to do it. You know that, so accept and we'll all be safer."  
  
"It's a good idea, Kim," Zack said.  
  
She looked into Tommy's eyes for a moment, and, apparently satisfied with whatever she found there, said reluctantly, "Okay...just give me a minute to pack."   
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7: Not Now, Not Here

Unavoidable Secrets Part 7  
  
Summary: Homicidal ex-boyfriend makes his presence known. Again.  
  
Rating: Same as before, and before, and before...you get the picture.  
  
Disclaimer: I own all things that make you go 'hmm...don't think I've heard of them before'. Things that you know are, unfortunately, owned by a mean person who won't let me have them.   
  
Author's notes: Yeah, I'm not panicking. I have a speaking exam tomorrow in a language I can't speak, and I hate my teacher!! Taking out my anger on this story, but I'll try to be nice.   
  
Thank You's: To my cuz Loz, and to everyone that has reviewed me (again) can't say how much it means to me...except I just did. Oops.  
  
  
"You have a really nice place here, you know that?" Zack told his longtime friend, as the three of them walked into the spacious living room. Tommy shrugged modestly, and said,  
  
"It's alright, I'd prefer it if it was closer to the school, but you can't have everything."  
  
"You got that right," Kim said, placing one of her two bags on the floor. "Still, it's really nice, you know. Just needs a better colour scheme and you'd be set."  
  
"What kind of colouring?" Tommy asked. "I kind of haven't had any time at all to do anything with this place, and it shows."  
  
"Yeah, I didn't think that purple would have been your first choice somehow." Zack laughed. he glanced at Kim, and said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, oh fellow captive?"  
  
Kim rolled her eyes, and said, "I don't know what you're thinking, so how am I supposed to know if our minds are aligned or not? For all I know you're thinking of pepperoni pizza or something, which I am definitely not doing."  
  
It was Zack's turn to roll his eyes. "I see that this situation hasn't done anything to diffuse your sarcastic nature." He turned to Tommy. "How would you like Kim and I to fix up this place for you? Kim's alright with a paintbrush, and I can help move furniture or something."  
  
"Yeah, we were thinking the same thing," Kim admitted. "It would be the least we can do, as long as I'm not stuck with all the painting." She glared at Zack, who held his hands up with an innocent look on his face.  
  
"Would I?"  
  
"Unless you have changed dramatically since your elemantary school days, then I'd have to say yes."  
  
  
***  
  
The day passed by pretty peacefully, with Tommy going to the hardware store on Kim's request to pick up a bunch of paint cards so that they could get started on the colour schemes. After about an hour, the guys had lost steam, and Zack got up from the table to phone Angela. Ten minutes later he hung up the phone and said,  
  
"I'm going to bed early,"  
  
"Is Angela still getting a transfer to Angel Grove?" Kim asked, looking up from a fan of paint cards that she had arranged. "Or did Sergeant Carter decide to destroy all of our dreams in the same day?"  
  
Tommy kept silent. Kim and Zack had been making similar barbed comments all day, he figured it was par for the course when they had just been told to stay out of sight indefinitely to protect themselves from being attacked.  
  
"No, she hasn't heard anything from him, so she said she's still coming," Zack said. He sighed, and added, "I just wish I could know that she was going to be safe for sure here, that I could definitely protect her."  
  
"I never wanted anyone else involved," Kim mumbled, hastily returning her attention to the merits of Bubblegum Pink versus Springtime Lilac.  
  
"Now I know what you mean, I wish I'd never told Angela now that I know what's going on," Zack agreed. "Still, to quote a cliche, what's done is done. We're simply gonna have to make the best of what we've got."  
  
"The old pot of gold at the end of the rainbow trick isn't going to work on anyone anymore, Zackary," Kim said. "I'll start phoning everyone tomorrow to let them know where we are, and then we can get started on the masterpiece that will be this room."  
  
"You don't have to paint this place, you know," Tommy pointed out. "I don't want you two to feel obligated. I'd have taken any of you guys in if it helps."  
  
"Just make sure you don't take Dave Curtis in, and we'll be sure to repay you in kind," Zack said. "Night, you two."  
  
"Night."  
  
For a few minutes the room remained silent, Tommy flicking through the newspaper and Kim mixing and matching colour cards. Then Kim said suddenly,  
  
"This has been bothering me all day...do you think that Trini is after Jason?"  
  
Tommy put down the paper and thought. Finally he said,   
  
"You know, they have been hanging out a lot together recently, but when I asked Jase about it he said it was because he's bored with Emily gone."  
  
"I always held out that Trini and Billy would get together," Kim mused, abandoning the cards and crossing her legs underneath her. "And now he's engaged, and she's flirting with him and Jason like nobody's business. What's this Cara girl like, anyway?"  
  
Tommy rolled his eyes. "I think that the clue is in the fact that I've only met her about three times. Or should I say, she's only wanted to meet us three times. She was very quiet...or do I mean snooty?"  
  
"Oh, it's like that, is it?" Kim said. "Still, if Billy's happy then I guess that's all that counts."   
  
"Yeah, but I don't think he's over Trini. He didn't tell her until she came back to Angel Grove, and the look on their faces... let's just say I'm pretty sure it's an open book situation. From what I've seen of the 2001 version, she's not exactly likely to hold back from what she wants anymore."  
  
"I was kinda...shocked by the transformation myself," Kim said. "I've known her since she was eight, and she's always been the shy, retiring one of us two. Now it looks as though we've swapped places."  
  
"Did anyone ever tell you that Rocky got engaged?" Tommy asked her. Kim's eyes opened wide, and she sat up a little straighter.   
  
"You are kidding me. To whom?" Kim asked. Rocky, a guy who could eat for America and win? Making a lasting commitment? "And why do I get the impression that this is all in the past tense?"  
  
"He met this girl at the dojo when she was picking up her little brother or something. She was really nice, but it didn't work out between them."  
  
"I don't think our group is doing that well with relationships at the moment, from what I've heard," Kim said. She didn't ask whether Tommy was still with Katherine. Whichever answer he gave would surely hurt too much.   
  
"No, you're right, it's sadly true."  
  
"What do you think of Moccachino?" Kim said, changing the subject before the tears that had been lurking all day spilled over to the surface. "It could give a nice warm feel to the place."  
  
Tommy leaned over to look at the card. "No, I think I object to feeling like I'm a coffee bean in a machine every time I walk into the room."  
  
"And that would be bad because?" Kim asked. Tommy punched her in the arm and said,  
  
"Just because I'm providing you and Zack with stability from the outside world and big, bad, crazy men out there does not mean I have to agree with everything you say."  
  
"That's me told," Kim said, putting down the cards once again. "I think I'd better stop, Lemon Cheesecake is starting to blend alarmingly into Periwinkle Seaside."  
  
This was what he missed most about Kim. The friendship that no-one else had thought was there. They'd only begun to renew their friendship the day before, and yet there was no awkwardness to be seen. The letter had not been mentioned, Kat was placed aside as though she had never been there, even the not-so-small matter of the remaining attraction that at moments threatened to overcome them had not spoiled their friendship.  
  
Kim was jolted from her similar reverie by the insistent beeping coming from her pocket. Tommy looked at her, and said "Are you the bionic woman?"  
  
"Nuh-huh, cell phone." She opened the flap and said, "Hello?"  
  
Almost immediately the blood drained from her face as she listened to whoever was speaking on the other side. There was a long pause before she spoke again, and it was only to say,  
  
"Just leave me alone, you bastard," and then the phone was lost from her grip, disappeared into the folds of the sofa. Her hands flew up to her face, and Tommy knew it was to hide tears that had decided now was the time to make their presence known. After a few minutes of silent sobbing, she removed her hands from her eyes to say, "How the hell did he get my number?"  
  
"You never gave it to him?" Tommy asked, sliding across the sofa to put a tentative arm around her shoulders. She shook her head, and said,   
  
"I changed my phone when we broke up...changed every fucking thing about me and still he won't give up."   
  
She didn't say anything more after that, just removed his arm from her shoulder, and retreated to the relative safety of her room, leaving Tommy even more confused than he had been when he saw Kim for the first time in four years just over twentyfour hours ago.  
  
***  
  
I've changed a lot.  
  
You don't have to tell me twice that things have changed since I came back to Angel Grove, actually when I came back to America from Geneva I found I'd suddenly become more assertive than I had been.  
  
Trini Kwan had always been seen as the shy one, not exactly in the shadows, but not exactly out of them either. Now that I'm older, I want to be in charge of my own life, to make my own decisions, and start thinking about me for a change.   
  
We spent three years of our teenage lives protecting the planet. We hardly ever got the chance to enjoy a normal life. So what if I'm using the opportunities I've been given to work out which of my old friends still has a crush on me?  
  
I'm still the same old Trini inside...I think. Just this is my inner child, and I'm determined to run with her for the next few days. At least until they have told me how they feel.  
  
To be honest, my heart is in this situation more than I'd like. I'm letting too much ride on this, giving up too much. When I heard that Tommy had taken Kim and Zack in, my first thought wasn't 'I wonder if Billy would like to come to dinner' it was 'I should have offered first.'  
  
It hurts me to see them like this...helpless, waiting for this Dave creature to make whatever move he chooses next. But I know that when he does emerge from the shadows, Tommy will be there to beat him to a pulp, hopefully with Jason right behind him.  
  
We've always been a closeknit group, but it seems as though we've been slipping things through the weave recently. I wouldn't be surprised if things got a lot more complicated in the near future.  
  
Stay tuned. 


	8. Chapter 8: Don't Ask Why

Unavoidable Secrets 8  
  
  
Summary: Pretty much just a catch up chapter cause I'm bored, and then I'll move it on a bit more later on (if I feel like it).  
  
Rating: R.  
  
Disclaimer: Mine mine MINE!!!! Uh.....no, not today. Maybe tomorrow.  
  
Author's Notes: Hurrah, no exams this week! There is the small matter of there being about 20 crammed into a fifteen day period after that, but I can cope (she says frantically). Hopefully in this chapter I'll get a few loose ends tied up, and then I can move on with the story, although I don't know how long to carry on with it for. Any ideas how many chapters I should do?? I'm already on chapter 8, which is really hard to believe.  
  
Thank You's: Anyone and everyone.   
  
  
It had been so strange. All nine of them gathered in the same room for how long? About six years, Aisha thought, and no-one had had a word to say to one another. The situation had been one that called for silence, and eventually she had fallen asleep.  
  
Then in the cold light of day, she, Adam, Rocky, Billy and Trini had left before they really had a chance to talk to either Kim or Zack. Aisha had buried herself in her work that day, refusing to believe that she had let her relationship with Kim die so much that she hadn't noticed her slipping away.  
  
It hadn't been an easy ride for Aisha returning to America after three years in Kenya. She'd finished her college education in Chicago and pottered around Angel Grove until she found a job working as a receptionist. It wasn't the most intellectually stimulating job in all the land, but it was in an established firm who paid well and gave away promotions as though they were chocolates. She had been promoted only a week ago and was now working as an apprentice in one of the side offices. She still didn't have a clue about what it was the company actually did, but at least she was getting paid well.  
  
On this Monday morning, Aisha Campbell rolled reluctantly out of bed, and got ready to face the outside world.   
  
An hour later, she was almost prepared to leave the house, when she suddenly noticed that her answerphone light was blinking insistently. She quickly crossed the room and pressed the Play button.  
  
"Aisha, it's Tommy. Kim got a phone call from Dave about an hour ago on her cell phone, and she's pretty stressed about it. I'm not sure what we're going to do about it, but the police are on their way. Could you please do me a favour and tell Adam and Rocky about it? Thanks Eesh, I'll let you know what happens later. See ya."  
  
"I have a feeling this is going to be a bad day," Aisha murmured and looked at her watch. It was seven forty-five, too late to ring Rocky before he left for his accounting job in Stone Canyon, but Adam would hopefully still be at home.   
  
Aisha dialled the number of her oldest friend, her hands shaking slightly. They'd known that Dave was back in town, but how did he know Kim's cell phone number? Surely Kim was sensible enough to keep her number a secret from him, but if she had truly loved him once upon a time who knows what she could have done.  
  
"Hello?" Adam said, sounding entirely too wide awake for that early hour.  
  
"It's Eesh. I don't know if someone's already told you this, but Kim got a call from Dave last night."  
  
"Oh god..." Adam muttered. "No, I hadn't heard. What did he say?"  
  
"I have no clue. I only just picked up Tommy's message, he said the police were on their way, but I don't know what time he called."  
  
"Shall we go there after I finish work tonight?" Adam suggested. "When I get into work I'll ring Rocky and we'll go together if you want."  
  
"That sounds great," Aisha said gratefully. "I wouldn't feel right going by myself, not when they can probably tell I'm petrified for them both."  
  
"I would say 'what could he possibly do to them', but considering he stabbed the object of his twisted affection in the leg, followed them from Florida to California and sent her and Zack sick notes, I don't think it wouldbe entirely appropriate," Adam said. "I'll ring you at work when I've called Rocky. Oh, and thanks for letting me know."  
  
"That's ok," Aisha said and hung up the phone. She hurried to get out of the door, and promptly tripped over the dangling phone cord. "I have a feeling it's just going to be one of those days."  
  
***  
  
He didn't have a class to teach that morning, but Zack had insisted that Tommy go into work.  
  
"Don't put your life on hold just because Kim and I are in a mess. You only live two minutes away, if anything happens to us we'll yell."  
  
So Jason was currently watching his best friend punch the living daylights out of a punchbag. Tommy had been monosyllabic all mornind, and after talking to the manager of the Surf Spot, Jason decided to get Tommy talking before his first class showed up.  
  
"Come on bro, it's time for a break," Jason called from the other side of the practising area. Reluctantly Tommy made his way over, grabbing a towel to wipe his sweating face with as he went.  
  
They stood in silence for a moment, then Jason asked,  
  
"Did you find out where he was calling from?"  
  
Tommy shook his head. "Some sort of security lock, I don't know. The police were still looking into it when I left."  
  
"What do the men in uniform have to say for themselves?" Jason asked, feeling his fists clench by his sides.  
  
"Not a lot as far as I heard. Just that they hadn't seen him again, and they thought the best thing to do would be for them to carry on staying with me until they catch him and do him for GBH."  
  
"How do you feel about them staying with you?"  
  
"I'm glad that I'm doing something to help, to be honest," Tommy admitted. "I can't help feeling that I let Kim down through all of this, that if only I'd followed up the letter and kept in touch, none of this would have had to happen."  
  
"Don't think that," Jason warned. "If you do, you'll drive yourself mad."  
  
"What, and you aren't blaming yourself at all for what's happened?" Tommy retorted, pushing the towel away. "Somehow I find that very hard to believe."  
  
"No, you're right. I keep on flashing back to Murianthias, I could tell that something was wrong even then, but before I made a move to speak to her-"  
  
"She skipped out," Tommy finished his statement for him.  
  
"You got that right." They paused for a moment, but Tommy decided to get his thoughts off a subject that was hurting him more than it should for a guy who was supposed to be completely over his ex-girlfriend, and change the subject.  
  
"Before the evil guy rang last night, Kim and I were having a very interesting chat about a intriguing subject."  
  
Jason, thinking that Tommy was insinuating that he and Kim would be getting back together, smiled wickedly, and said "Yeah..."  
  
"Yeah, so spill. What's going on with you and a certain Ms Kwan?"  
  
The look on Jason's face was a picture. "W-what? Nothing's going on between me and Trini," he said feebly. "I'm with Emily."  
  
"Yes, but you have to admit there's been a lot of flirtation going on between the two of you," Tommy said. "Anything that you would care to share?"  
  
"There's nothing to share," Jason said. "We hang out sometimes, end of story. She's been my friend for nearly twenty years!!!"  
  
"Scary," Tommy commented. "Anyway, stop your denial in progress and get on over to your class, looks as though they're waiting for you."  
  
"See ya later," Jason said, and took off for the teaching area opposite them, where twenty six year olds stood, having been brought over by their first grade teacher to begin learning the basics of karate. Tommy stood watching his friend for a moment, then once again headed over to the punching bag to take all his worries out on it.  
  
  
***  
  
Kim and Zack had slowly been driving each other crazy all day.  
  
"Zack, could you please get up off the floor and dry the dishes for me, will ya?"  
  
"You do it," he said grumpily, refusing to open his eyes and face the harsh reality that was the outside world. "Stop acting like a demented housewife."  
  
"Whatever," Kim sighed, and decided to let the dishes dry for themselves. She joined Zack in the family room, and said, "Heard from anyone today?"  
  
"My mom called, but she didn't stay on for long," Zack said. "You should know, you took the call."  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you today?" Kim asked twisting to face him. "Everything I say, you bite my head off. If you have a problem with me I'd prefer you said it to my face instead of making snide comments all day."  
  
"Fine," Zack said, finally opening his eyes and sitting so he could see Kim. "I have a problem in the fact that I've had to give up my career, and not see my girlfriend for god knows how long, all because of some maniac who will probably just hang around long enough to target your little toe this time or something, and then disappear again. There, was that direct enough for you?"  
  
Neither of them had noticed the owner of the apartment slip in silently in the middle of Zack's tirade, not wanting to interrupt the long needed venting of emotions.  
  
"Well excuse me, Mr Pro Dancer," Kim shot back, in her anger standing up to face him once again. "I'm a qualified psychologist, and somehow the only work I seem to be doing is analysing some pyscho's moves to see what he's going to do next, which I didn't bargain for when I decided what to do with my life. May I remind you that I've been stuck in the middle of this shit for three years now, and I've had to sacrifice a hell of a lot more than you have over that time. Couple that with having to put up with everyone's pity, knowing that the guy I should never have given up is letting us stay heer and I have absolutely no idea why he would want to help me after what I did to him, and you have someone who is coming to the end of her tether."  
  
"Join the club," Zack muttered.  
  
"Yeah, well now that you two both know where you stand, can we get on with choosing paint colours?" Tommy asked acerbically from his vantage point byt he closed front door.  
  
Kim whirled to face him, petrified of what he must have heard. She opened her mouth to say-what? She wasn't sure- but was interrupted by an insistent knock on the door. Tommy did a 180-degree turn to look through the peephole. Swallowing hard at what he thought he saw there, he turned back to Kim and Zack, asking quietly as he did so,  
  
"Did this Dave person have brown spiky hair, a kind of weird spot thing in the middle of his forehead?" Kim and Zack nodded slowly in tandem, both knowing what was coming. "Then I think we may have a problem."  
  
Author's Note (again): I've written Chapter 9, it just depends when I get a chance to type it up from my battered old notebook and post it! Stay tuned.  
  
  



	9. Chapter 9: A Little Situation

Unavoidable Secrets 9  
  
Summary: The final showdown. Or is that too dramatic?  
  
Rating: R. Although I'm not really sure why anymore...still, what's done is done as they say.  
  
Disclaimer: Nada, rien, nothing except Dave belongs to me. Except in my dreams...sigh.  
  
Author's Notes: No exams this week, so that equals more time to write. I think this will be the penultimate chapter but that isn't definite yet because I haven't finished writing Chapter 10 yet, so I don't know how long it will be. Whichever, you'll be the first to find out!  
  
#2, Warning, this chapter is short. Mainly because I'm rubbish at action and better at emotional stuff, which doesn't say much. Imitation of life some may say. but there you go. The next chapter will be longer, I promise.  
  
Thank You's: To everyone that's reviewed millions of times (slight exaggeration) cos it means a lot. Thanks!  
  
  
Tommy, Kim and Zack exchanged scared glances, before Kim beckoned them into the far corner of the room and said, quickly and quietly,  
  
"Zack, grab the cordless phone. You and I will go in the bathroom and ring the police. Tommy-" her gaze flickered onto him. She didn't know what he had heard and was petrified what would happen when he and Dave came face to face, but this was the only way. "You distract him, keep him talking and don't try anything, he's stronger than he looks. If he looks as though he will try something, try to say 'Tic Tac' and I'll come in."  
  
"Kim, no, I won't have you in there," Tommy tried to say, then paused. "Tic tac? Why?"  
  
"I don't know, just offer him one or something," Kim said. "And don't try to talk me out of this one, I'll be fine...we'll be fine." Zack grabbed the cordless phone and headed towards the bathroom. "Be careful, and I'll probably see you in a minute." The two of them headed into the bathroom and Tommy took a deep breath, trying to repress the urge to kill the scrawny little weed. However he was obviously not going to get much time to reflect, as Dave didn't seem to be a patient person judging by the persistent knocking on the door. Mentally saying sorry to his mother for what he wanted to do to Dave Curtis, he opened the door.  
  
Dave was a couple of inches shorter than Tommy, and nowhere near as heavily built. However, Tommy finally understood why Kim had been so intimidated by him, there was a certain attitude about him that screamed 'come near me and live to regret it'.  
  
He obviously hadn't bargained on meeting someone other than Kim or Zack open the door, saying contemptuously,   
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
"I think I should be the one asking that question, you turning up uninvited as you are."  
  
"I'm sure that, whoever you are, you know why I'm here," Dave said smoothly.  
  
"I thought that Jehovah's witnesses visited on Sundays, and they're normally a lot more polite than you are currently being." Tommy said, desperately playing for time. He didn't want to have to bring Kim out into this, but he was beginning to think he was going to have to. Dave merely rolled his eyes at the sarcastic comment, and replied,  
  
"I'm here to see Kim, so if you don't mind cutting the chit-chat short-" He nade to push past Tommy, but his opponent's muscular frame filled the doorframe, and he wasn't about to make way for a stalker to enter his apartment.  
  
"You must have the wrong apartment, I don't know any Kim. I think you'll find you're wasting your time here, so why don't you move along?"  
  
"I saw her come into this apartment two days ago, and she hasn't ventured out since. Hell, I even saw her go into Tullo's. I knew she was there a long time before she and the other guy noticed me and decided to scarper."  
  
Much as he would deny it in front of any of his friends, family or anyone who had ever known him, Tommy was officially starting to panic. The reason for this was simple, he had just spotted a suspicious-looking bulge in Dave's right trouser pocket, and while he could deal with punches and blows, bullets weren't such an easy option for him. Again he tried his best to send a mental message, this time to Kim, asking her to forgive him for what he was about to do to her, saying desperately,  
  
"Sure I can't offer you a Tic-Tac while you're waiting for whomever it is?"  
  
***  
  
Kim promptly got up from her seat in the bathtub, and said "I think that's my cue, Zack-man."  
  
"What are you planning, Kim?" Zack asked. He'd had to restrain Kim from finding Dave the day that they left Florida, and he knew that this would involve seeking revenge for the three years of her life that she had wasted on him.  
  
"I have absolutely no idea," Kim admitted ruefully. "I just wish that I'd paid more attention when you guys were learning martial arts."  
  
"Just hold on until the police get here. They said that they'd be here in five minutes at the most."  
  
"Yeah, okay. I'll yell out 'flying frisbees' if I get into trouble, all right?" Kim asked, and slipped out of the room to face her nemesis for what she hoped would be the last time. She left Zack behind, silently praying that his two friends could take care of themselves.  
  
***  
  
"Well well, little lady. We finally meet again," Dave leered, catching sight of Kim emerging from the bathroom. "It's been too long."  
  
"Too long since you put me in hospital for three days by stabbing me in the leg? Thanks for the sentiment," Kim snarled, "but can we make it quick? I have a new guy waiting for me in the bathtub."  
  
Suddenly Dave made his move, he blindsided Tommy, rushed past him and grabed Kim by the neck, keeping her in a stranglehold. With his other hand, he grabbed the one weapon that he could use to his advantage, his trusted gun. Holding it to Kim's head, he warned,  
  
"Try anything, and the gun will get you too. I may love her, but I wouldn't put it past me to kill those who close to her, or her either for that matter."  
  
Tommy stood where he was, quickly taking in the situation. He looked at Kim, whose eyes were pleading with him to keep Dave talking.  
  
"Okay, let's get this part of it over with. What the hell do you want with her?" Tommy asked.  
  
The eternal question. Why did Dave Curtis have such an unquenchable fixation with Kim Hart? Tommy could easily understood how Dave had fallen in love with her, he himself had done it six years ago and had never given it up. But why the burning obsession, the need to have her everywhere he was?  
  
"Because I love her," he said in a marginally softer voice. "If only she could see that she's my world..."  
  
"Then why did you try to control me?" Kim rasped;breathing was not coming easily for her. "I would have stayed in Florida with you if you hadn't become so controlling, and you weren't so clingy all the time to me." Her eyes met Tommy's again, desperately trying to convey to him that this wasn't true. It was a lie, she had wanted to come home-to Tommy- even before the whole mess had started. Tommy gave the slightest of nods, and Kim knew that he understood.  
  
"I wanted you to be mine, not anyone else's. You were always talkign about how you missed California, how you missed your friends. I wanted you to want to be with me!" Unconsciously his hand regained its original pressure on Kim's neck, and she sighed inwardly. She had a plan forming in the depths of her mind, but she needed the pressure to be lessened. They would have to keep him talking for a little while longer once more.  
  
"You were my whole world, of course you were," Kim said wistfully, praying to God that she sounded convincing. "All I wanted was to be with you, I always thought that you knew that. But I couldn't... I can't put up with you always wanting to know where I am like you were before."  
  
The moment she had been waiting for finally came. He noticeably lessend the pressure on her neck, and she immediately twisted out of his iron grip and kicked the gun out of his hand.  
  
Tommy sprang forward to cllect the gun from where it had fallen on the parquet floor, but Dave was there, and surprisingly strong for his build. KIm grabbed Dave's arm, desperately trying to get him away from the gun, but it was too late. Somehow, someway, the gun went off in the midst of the three, just in the same moment as the police burst through the still open door, five minutes late as normal.  
  
Zack raced into the family room after hearing the unmistakeable sound of a gunshot, to see what looked like a complete warzone. He moved closer, and had to surpress a yell when he saw who was laying motionless on the floor, a pool of red slowly growing around them...  
  
Quick Note: Ok I'm mean. So sue me! ( Except don't, I'd have to raid my piggy bank) Expect the next -and probably last- chapter soon.  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10:Tying Up Loose Ends

Unavoidable Secrets 10  
  
Summary: The aftermath.  
  
Rating: Same as the one before, and before that, and before...  
  
Disclaimer: See above. Such a shame.  
  
Author's Notes: Well, is this the end?? I'm undecided about whether to carry on with this series, but I do know I will carry on writing in some shape or form. Any help/feedback is always greatly appreciated. This chapter will therefore be tying up loose ends, but maybe creating some as well :-) !!  
  
  
Kim got up shakily, realising that her vision was not clearing, and vaguely aware that blood was somehow making its merry way out of her elbow and onto the floor. Her head felt fuzzy, but she managed to stand without falling, although that could have had something to do with the fact that Tommy was supporting her. From far away she heard police struggling to restrain Dave, and finally reading him his rights, it seemed as though he had been arrested, and not before time either. He was being charged with GBH and something else that Kim's ears couldn't focus on.  
  
Finally her eyes completely cleared, and they focused on Zack, who was watching her carefully. She tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace, and said,  
  
"I should have said flying frisbees, shouldn't I?" Zack nodded ruefully, and Tommy just looked puzzled. "Can somebody get me a towel or something? I think we need to save your floor before we have to change the colour scheme to red."  
  
Zack went back into the bathroom to retrieve a towel. Tommy looked into Kim's eyes, slowly turning her around to face him while making sure she was supported and didn't fall down, before saying,   
  
"It's okay to cry, beautiful."  
  
The use of his old pet name for her, and the entirity of what had gone on over the last three years of her life finally caught up with her, and the floodgates opened. She held on to her ex-boyfriend with her one good arm, sobbing until she thought that her heart would literally break. Zack came back into the room and carefully encased her arm in soft towelling, and Kim finally got her emotions under control, although the pain of the bullet in her arm was enough to make her want to cry for the rest of her life.  
  
"We've radioed for an ambulance, Ms Hart," a uniformed police officer that she didn't recognise told her. "We'll obviously need to question all of you, but that can be done at the hospital."  
  
A nearby plain clothed officer wasn't quite so understanding. "Are you sure that it was Dave Curtis that shot you, Kim?"  
  
Kim and Tommy looked at each other, absolutely horrified.  
  
"No need to answer now, we need to get you in an ambulance and on your way to hospital," he backtracked. "I'm sure your fresh minds will keep for a little longer."  
  
Kim wiped her tearstreaked face, and desperately tried to cast her confused mind back to just five minutes ago. She was sure that she hadn't shot herself, but as for who had actually pulled the trigger.. Kim was pretty sure that it had been Dave, but even if it hadn't been him, she would place the blame in his direction with no qualms whatsoever. It looked as though, finally, this particular chapter of her life was coming to a close.  
  
Tommy and Zack helped a shaky Kim down the stairs of the building, ignoring the curious galnces of neighbours who had heard the gunshot and were eagerly waiting for gossip to reach their ears. They waited until they saw the police car with Dave in drive safely away until they led her to the waiting ambulance. Kim took one look at the towel which was now a sickly shade of red, and said quickly to Zack, "Ring everyone for me?" He nodded, and she turned her attention to Tommy, saying quietly before she lost all of her strength, "Will you please stay with me?"  
  
He nodded in agreement. Tommy knew that he hadn't fired that gun, he had seen Dave's fingers close around the trigger but had been powerless to stop him. But he also knew that the police would question him to see how he dealt with pressure, until they wanted him to break. It all rested on whether Dave admitted to what he ahd done, or decided to place the blame on someone else, namely himself. It was weighing heavily on his mind, even as they left Zack and the apartment building behind and the paramedic began to unwind the improvised bandage from Kim's seemingly shattered elbow.  
  
"You're probably going to have surgery on this, I should think," the woman told Kim as she started to clean out the open wound. Kim winced, but managed to nod through the pain. "They'll keep you in for a couple of days and if it heals well, you'll be out within three days."   
  
The rest of the journey was a silent one, Kim not looking at anyone and Tommy lost in his own thoughts. They both knew that life would never be the same after this had happened.  
  
***  
  
Jason knocked impatiently at Trini's door. He needed to see her, but why he simply couldn't say. Finally, after what seemed like the passing of a historical age, the door was opened. Trini stood there with tears streaming down her face. Immediately Jason moved to put his arms around her. "What's the matter? What happened?"  
  
Trini sniffed and struggled to regain her composure. "I just got a call from Zack...Kim's been shot in the arm."  
  
Jason held Trini tighter, not letting the threatening wave of emotions overcome him. Kim had always been able to take care of herself, but now it looked as though her built in self-protective devices had truly broken down. "When did he call?"   
  
Trini disentangled herself, and wiped her eyes. "Um..maybe five minutes ago. He said Tommy went with her to the hospital, and he was just on his way there. They arrested Dave, but he said the police were trying to pin it on Tommy."  
  
"What?" Jason said disbelievingly, then said, "Tell me in the car. We'll go to the hospital and wait until we can see her."  
  
"Okay, let me just get my jacket." Trini grabed the nearest coat, not caring that it mismatched the outfit she was wearing completely, and they went out to Jason's car. She waited until they were out on the road that led to the hospital before beginning. "Zack said that Dave turned up, Tommy spoke to him first then realised that he had a gun, so Kim came out but she said something and Dave got her in a stranglehold. She kicked the gun out of his hand, and all three of them were trying to get it and she got shot."  
  
"Shit," Jason muttered. "Did Zack say how she was?"  
  
"She was conscious, but her elbow looked as though it was shattered apparently. He said she'll probably have to stay in the hospital for a while, or at least get surgery, but he wasn't sure. He sounded pretty shook up as well, but I guess you would be."  
  
"Yeah," Jason said. "Did he call everyone else?"  
  
"Yeah. He left me till last, but Billy and the rest can't make it till later on, and she probably won't be allowed that many visitors anyway."  
  
"Okay, well we'll try our luck, if anything we'll get to see Zack," Jason said, as they found a parking space in the Angel Grove Memorial Hospital.  
  
"Kim's in surgery Zack said, he'd wait for us in the reception and we'll find the ward she's going to be in." Trini announced, getting out of the car and walking with Jason toward the main entrance. Suddenly somethign occured to her and she stopped dead, luckily not in the middle of the road. "Jase, why did you come to my place anyway? You kind of never got a chance to explain."  
  
Jason looked at her. He had decided to break up with Emily and ask Trini if she'd be prepared to give the issue of them a try. But how could he tell her that now, when their friend since childhood was hospitalized and they were in such an alien situation? He'd have to make up some excuse.  
  
"I was on my way home and was thinking how I was bored, so I decided to pop in before I went back." Not such a lie after all, although maybe one of omission.  
  
Trini looked dubious, but let it go for the moment, because they had just walked into the reception area and seen Zack pacing up and down by the snack machines. Spotting them, he walked over quickly, saying,  
  
"Thank god you guys are here."  
  
"What's going on?" Jason asked his friend quickly. Zack rubbed his temple and said despondently,  
  
"Not much. Tommy's off being questioned by the police, I've already had the pleasure of that experience. Kim's out of surgery and stable, but she's still unconscious so we can't go ond see her yet. I made friends with one of the nurses who said she'll come and tell us when she's awake and ready."  
  
"What did the police say to you?" Trini asked, her true caring nature coming into force.   
  
"They weren't suggesting me as having done anything wrong, they just wanted to know what happened. They said they had the gun for fingerprinting, but were pretty sure it was Dave from what I described." The three friends went to sit in some of the reception's chairs.  
  
"And are you sure that it was Dave?" Jason asked. "I don't like to say it or anything, but if there were three of them fighting over it, it could have been Tommy, or even Kim herself for that matter."  
  
"I know, but I think it was Dave," Zack maintained. "I would have thought he would be the only one holding the trigger, and I told the police that."  
  
Their discussion was interrupted by the sight of Tommy coming into view. He looked exhausted and more than a little worried, yet still angry at the same time.  
  
"Dude, what'd they say to you?" Zack asked. Tommy nodded at Trini and Jason and fell into a chair.   
  
"Thank god Dave's pleading guilty," was all he said for a moment, before adding, "How's Kim? Is she out of surgery yet?"  
  
It would have been funny to see Tommy's lingering affection for his ex-girlfriend in any other circumstance, but today was not that day. "She's out of surgery, but not awake yet," Zack told him.  
  
"All we can do is wait," Trini said. "Does anyone want a coffee from the machine over there?"  
  
All three guys nodded, and Jason went over to help her carry the four cups of coffee back to the chairs. They sipped in silence for a few minutes, before Zack got up from his seat, saying "That's the nurse over there." He waved his arm, and the woman came over to where they were seated.  
  
"Is she awake yet?" Zack and Tommy asked simultaneously. The nurse, whose name tag read 'Carol' smiled and said,  
  
"Yes she is, but the police have asked to speak to her first. They assured me that they'd only be ten minutes at the most, so I came to find you guys and bring you up to the ward. Do you want to come and follow me?" The four got up and followed the tall nurse through a maze of corridors and stairs.  
  
"How is she?" Jason asked anxiously. Carol looked at him and said,   
  
"Well they got the bullet out okay, but upon entering her arm it basically shattered the joint. That's why she was so long in surgery, the doctors did some basic pinning together so she can still have full use of that arm. She's a bit groggy at the moment, but a quick chat with the men in uniform should liven her up a bit." They reached the ward which was their destination, and Carol pointed to a tiny side room. "That's where she is. Wait outside until the police leave and then two of you go in at the same time, no more than two though, and not more that ten minutes a time."   
  
"I'll go in with you, Tommy," Zack said. Tommy nodded, and Jason was secretly relieved to have some more time with Trini, even if it was only ten minutes at the most. They made idle chitchat for a few minutes before the conversation suddenly turned to Billy's engagement to Cara.  
  
"I just don't understand it," Zack said. "Billy is one of the nicest guys that I have ever met, and he ends up with an ice queen who is stopping him from keeping in contact with us."  
  
"Really?" Trini asked, shocked. "Billy's never been the most assertive of men, but I thought he'd have stood up for us. After all," her voice dropped volume "We've shared things more deeply than anyone else can possibly understand."  
  
"Someone's going to have to talk to him," Jason said. "Even if it does worsen relations even more, it has to be said."  
  
They all nodded, and Tommy said, "Not now though. We have to get past this... whole thing before we can even think about anything else." If anyone else noticed that he had laid his feelings for Kim on the table, they didn't outwardly show it, preferring instead to lose themselves in their own thoughts for as long as it took for the police to emerge from Kim's side room. The two men swept past the group of friends without casting a glance at who they were, and Zack took that as their clue to go into the room from which they had just exited.  
  
Kim looked better than both men had thought she would. Propped up by pillows, and with a slightly overbearing flush on her cheeks, the only sign that she was unwell was the gigantic cast that covered most of her right arm. On seeing the two friends who had shared her ordeal her expression becams slightly sombre, but still generally upbeat.  
  
"Hey, how are you?" Tommy asked, sitting by her side, and Zack taking the chair on the other side of the bed. Kim sighed, and said,   
  
"As well as can be expected I guess. My head feels as though it's been shot from the inside out, but I should be out within a couple days, or so I've been told."  
  
"Did the police have anything to say to you?" Zack asked worriedly.  
  
"He's pleading guilty, but apart from that, not really. He's being refused bail, and we can get on with our lives once I'm out of here." Kim started playing with the sheet on her bed with her intact arm, obviously uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. "I have to get a phone somehow, something tells me my mom's gonna want to hear about this one."  
  
"Kim, there are about ten other people waiting to see you," Carol siad as she walked into the room, "but this party's going to have to be cut short I'm afraid. You need some proper sleep and a good night's rest so that when all your friends comeback you can talk to them for more than two minutes beofre you get tired. So, you two, scoot."   
  
"We'll be back tomorrow, Kim," Tommy assured her, not wanting her to think that they were just going to abandon her. Kim nodded and suppressed a yawn, saying,  
  
"Just don't make it before ten in the morning." Tommy and Zack followed the nurse out of the room, and saw Jason, Trini, Billy, Adam, Rocky and Aisha all waiting to see Kim. One look at their friends faces told them that their intended purpose would not be fulfilled today.  
  
"No dice?" Adam said. Zack shook his head, and said,   
  
"The nurse says Kim's too tired and needs to sleep. Sorry for dragging you guys all the way out here for nothing."  
  
"It's not for nothing if one of our friends needs us," Billy pointed out. "Shall we come in smaller groups tomorrow then, so as not to tire her out even more than she already is?"  
  
The group generally agreed, and dispersed along the corridors. No-one even made a suggestion about getting together that night, it wasn't the time for socialising. Once they had all found the way back to the car park, they said their goodbyes and made their way to their respective homes.  
  
Jason drove Trini back to her apartment in silence, but when he reached her building he made his snap decision. Although he had changed his mind so many times before, when Trini went to say goodbye to him, he kissed her deeply on the lips, and not in a sibling relationship manner either. Trini pulled away after several moments of thoroughly enjoying herself, and said breathlessly,   
  
"What was that for?"  
  
Jason blushed to the roots of his hair, and said, "Well, I thought you might need someone there for you." Stupid Jason! You don't say that when you've just kissed someone you've wanted for as long as you remember. What exactly you do say he had no idea, but not that.  
  
"Come inside?" Trini asked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
***  
  
As directed, Tommy arrived at the hospital well after ten am, twelve o'clock to be precise. When he knocked uncertainly at Kim's door and she said "Come in," she was listlessly flicking through a magazine.  
  
"Hey, humanity," she said gratefully, tossing the magazine aside. "I was beginning to think no-one was coming."  
  
"I had to work, this is my lunch break," he told her.  
  
"So do you want to walk down to the cafeteria and get something to eat?" Kim asked, levering herself out of the uncomfortable bed. "And this isn't just being nice either, if breakfast was anything to go by then I don't want to stick around here for lunch."  
  
They walked down to the hospital canteen in silence, and once there Kim grabbed an apple and Tommy a sandwich, eating right was not on either of their main priorities list at the moment. After finding a table, Kim suddenly blurted out,  
  
"You're feeling guilty, aren't you?" At the blush that spread over his face, she said "Don't for god's sake. I already feel bad about getting you dragged into the whole thing in the first place, it was nothing to do with you anyway."  
  
"Anything that goes wrong with you has something to do with you," Tommy admitted softly. "Don't you get it, that I still want you to be mine?"  
  
Kim laughed softly, and said, "I think I knew all along, but what can I do? I can't get into a relationship with you when everyday I'd be remindd of when I gave you up, of the hell I had to go through to get you again.I know everyone's looking on me as strong, but I really don't think that I could go through that again."  
  
"You wouldn't be going through hell again. We wouldn't be going backwards, we would be going forward," Tommy said. "Do you love me?"  
  
Kim paused for a moment, then looked at him and said, "You know I tried to stop loving you so badly when I wrote that note?" Tommy waited, and finally she sighed, and said "But everyday the only thing that stopped me coming back to you was the thought of what you would think of me... and now that you know I suppose we could go forward...together?" Her eyes were tear-filled, but there was hope behind the sheet of tears there. Tommy smiled and said,  
  
"I guess we could."  
  
  
Author's Notes: Wow, longest chapter ever! And probably the end, because I really have no idea where a sequel would go. If you want one, then suggestions would make this girl's day.  
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, it means a lot to me. Keep waiting, I'll be coming out with new stuff soon, hopefully.  
  
  



End file.
